Wildfire News Of The Day (the Firebomber Publications blog) provides comprehensive international wildfire news. Subscribers include over 10,000 personnel from fire agencies, contractors, and government entities on five continents. "BEST NEWSLETTER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 32 YEARS IN THE FIRE SERVICE" - San Diego Fire Department Chief Brian Fennessy.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 040313

Fresno County, California, is expecting an early wildfire season due to a dry winter (1); while the California Fire Science Consortium sent along their April newsletter (2). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bill Derr, a former Special Agent for US Forest Service, discusses a study he put together for New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce about two catastrophic wildfires that raged across New Mexico in 2012 (3); but in the meantime, Ruidoso is concerned that their water may run out due to damage done to the watershed by last year's Little Bear Fire (4). A report on Colorado's 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire praises the response of emergency agencies to the blaze, which destroyed 347 homes and triggered insurance claims of $353 million (5); even as Sen. Michael Bennett viewed the 1,300-acre burn area in Lory State Park where Colorado's first major wildfire of 2013 erupted in March (6). With trails and recreational areas destroyed by recent wildfires, the Idaho legislature passed a resolution calling on the federal government to properly manage federal lands in the state that have been ravaged by wildfires (7); while the Bureau of Land Management aided other agencies in Utah preparing for fire season (8). Perceived funding shortfalls for rural volunteer firefighters in Texas which could impact wildland firefighting efforts is gaining scrutiny from the Legislature (9); the University of Wyoming publishing a wildfire survival guide entitled "Living with Wildfire in Wyoming" (10). A forest fire training session was held in Monson, Massachusetts, last week for fire agencies and departments across the region (11). High winds and low humidity have prompted the National Weather Service to issue Red Flag warnings for much of central and eastern Pennsylvania (12); similar conditions prompting Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to warn homeowners about the danger of brush burning during the spring fire season (13); folks in Central New Jersey also being advised of Red Flag conditions (14); as was the case with Maryland (15); where nesting bald eagles were threatened by a wildfire on Carroll Island (16); and residents of Virginia were warned of the wildfire danger as well (17). US Fish and Wildlife Service fire crews set backfires in efforts to keep a 2,200-acre wildfire away from Florida's Kennedy Space Center (18); and another blaze has scorched hundreds of acres in Miami-Dade County (19); fire crews in St. Johns County battled a 55-acre wildfire near the community of Riverwalk (20); a 38-acre wildfire being reported in Lake County (21); and a wildfire in Big Cypress National Preserve which closed Interstate 75 is now 50% contained (22). Fire crews continued to grapple with wildfires in Scotland, which has seen 175 break out since March (23); while a BBC video segment discusses nearly 150 wildfires that have broken out in Wales, many of them deliberately set (24). A 100-hectare bushfire in South Wairarapa, New Zealand, has destroyed an estimated $1 million worth of timber (25). Australia Capitol Territory will be setting 6,000 ha of Namadgi National Park on fire to reduce bushfire fuel (28); but the Climate Commission could be in peril if Opposition politicians come to power in the federal government (27). Bushfire survivors in Dereel, Victoria, enjoyed a barbecue at their Community Hall (28); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Nathan Maddock, Communications Officer for Bushfire CRC, sent along a study that investigated the teamwork and decision making differences between familiar and unfamiliar incident management teams (29). After battling 6,000 bushfires which destroyed 62 homes across New South Wales, members of the Rural Fire Service breathed a collective sigh of relief as the bushfire season came to an end (30); but three months after bushfires raged through Tasmania, a clinical psychologist discusses the psychological impact on survivors (31). And finally, the US may have Smokey Bear, but now the Scots have Smokey Lamb!